Mechanical clutch.



c. P. KETTERING. MECHANICAL CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5, 1906.

923,857.. Patented June 8, 1909.

I I BT11- 5,2 I a w v of this specification.

"'.'i HE}N fr1o AL CASHYREGIISTER. H110 (INCORPORATED IN1906.)"

To all whom it maly comer-n; r 1

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. Kn'r'ranme, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton in the county of Montgomery? and State ofhio,' have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Meeham ical Clutches, of which I declare the follow ing to be a full, clear, and exact description. This invention relates to clutches and has for. a main object to provide a simple and reliable friction clutch. .Another object is to improve the type of friction clutch comprising two members which are adapted to be operatively connected by a series of balls .or rollers.

With these and incidental objectsin view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combination of parts, the essential elements of'which are set forth in appended claim and aprefered form of embodiment ofwhich is hereinafter specificallydeseribed with reference to the drawings which accompany and form part Of said drawin Figure 1' is a detail side elevation of tfit rclutch showing a stop bar. Fig. 2 is a section on line of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a partial sectional vijw of the clutchand driving mechanism.

.The clutch shown in claimed herein is adapted to be .used in ma'nykinds of machines, such for example as sewing machines and cash registers where it is deslred to intermittently connect the mechanism to be driven to a constantly running driving mechanism and at the same time to provide means for quickly and certainly detaching the driven mechanism and stopping it. v

Described in general termsthe clutch consistsof a drivingmember shown herein as a cup shaped disk which is rigidl connected to some motor *mechanism' such tbr example as an electric motor.

The driven member comprises a plate having peripheral recesses inwhich are mounted rollers servin to connect the said driven plate to the driving disk. The rollers are mounted on a separate plate and are adapted to be forced F to connecting position by springs. A stopping device here shown as a pivoted "arm is provided and is adapted to engage the'roller carrying plate to disconmeet the two members of the clutch.

It may be said that this invention consists Specifieattonot Letters Patent. I Application filedoctober 5, 1906.. Serial No. 337,569.

'17 which carries pins the drawings and motor, connected toany machine or apparatus to be driven by a spring operated friction clutchfi Referring. to Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that theclutch-consists of two main parts 12 and 13}. The part 12 is a cup like disk which is rigidly secured to the side of the worm gear .10 and revolves with the same. The part 13 consists of a plate having recesses 14 cut in its periphery in which are loosely positioned rollers 15. A gear 16 is pinned to plate 13 and is geared to the machine or apparatus tobe driven. There is also a plate 18 and is mounted loosely upon the hub of the gear wheel 16. On the outer face of the plate 17 is mounted a lug 19 which 'contacts at certain times with a stop-.bar-20.; The plate 17 serves to control the coupling and uncoupling of parts 12 and 13 of the. clutch. The pins 18 extend Patented we 8,1909.

of constantly revolving elements such as a worm wheel and P1111011 10and 11 driven by any. suitable power, for examplean electric into the holesof the rollers 15 which are 4 lar er'than said ins thereby allowing the rol ers to have a S? ent of the I-pins 318.1. Said pins normally hold the-rollers against the tension of springs 21, which are-contained in borings in the plate .13. The stop bar 20 is actuated by any suitable means to release the plate 17 when raised and to come into the 19 when lowered again:

' The operation of the clutch is as follows: The disk 12 revolves in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 but the plate 13 will remain stationary until the stop bar- 20 is raised out path of the lug of the path of the lug 19. As soon as the plate 17 is released it will be thrown forward by the springs 21 thereby releasing the rollers 15 which will be wedged between the rim of the disk 12 and the plate 13. This will connect the plate 13 to the disk 12 causli)ng them to rotate together. When the step ar lug 19 will contact with said barand will stop the plate 17 carrying the pins 18. When this happens the pins 18 being now stationary will (as the disk 12 and the plate 13 continue to rotate) force the rollers 15 1 back to their normal position against the tension of the springs 21 thereby releasing the driven member from the driving element and when the rollers 15 abut the sides of their recesses they will positively stop the 1 8Q ight movement independ- 20 is returned to its normal position the 1.00

plate 13 and the mechanism driven thereby while allowing the disk 12 to continue its movement.

It will be seen that this mechanism provides a simple and reliable clutching device and may be easily thrown out of operation. In prior patents clutches including such rollers as I have shown have been used but in most such cases the only method of disconnecting the driving from the driven mechanism has been to stop the driver in as much as any attempt to stop the driven mechanism would only serve to connect the two members more tightly. In this construction however the disconnection is obtained by causing a reverse relative movement of the connecting rollers which evidently serve to carrysaid rollers into the widest part of the recesses 14.

the objects primarily stated, it is be undriven disk inside the ring and having peripheral recesses, a controlling plate having pins projecting therefrom one into each re cess, a roller loosely mounted on each of said pins, spring plungers seated in said driven disk and bearing against said rollers, and an arm movable out of the path of said controlling plate but normally positioned to be engaged by said plate and stop the same.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES F. KETTERING. Witnesses ROY C. GLASS, CARL W. BEUST. 

